Gasgoo Munich- China's cyberspace authority and market regulator have jointly issued new standards for online product reviews, setting clear requirements for evaluations across sectors including the automotive industry.
In recent years, online reviews assessing vehicle performance, safety, and energy consumption have proliferated across the industry. While these assessments offer valuable guidance for car buyers, the landscape has been marred by issues such as inaccurate data and inconsistent testing standards.
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Under the new rules, "online evaluation" is defined as the assessment of product quality, functionality, or value through testing, data comparison, citation of inspection reports, or descriptions of user experience—published via text, video, or livestream. Individual consumer feedback, however, falls outside this scope.
The regulations mandate that review samples must be standard retail items available to consumers, with traceable origins; custom-made units prepared specifically for testing are prohibited. Evaluators must prominently disclose any third-party commissions, sponsorships, or conflicts of interest with the product manufacturer. Furthermore, technical tests regarding product functionality or performance must be conducted by qualified inspection agencies in accordance with established standards, with samples and records retained. For food products specifically, testing requires relevant qualifications, and non-standard methods—or tests lacking national inspection standards—are forbidden.
Reviews based solely on subjective opinion rather than actual testing must be clearly labeled as "personal experience only" or "subjective opinion for reference only." The rules forbid comparing different products using disparate standards or methods, cherry-picking data from inspection reports, or denigrating competitors with insulting language. Additionally, any content that promotes products or services with embedded shopping links must be clearly marked as an "advertisement."
Online platforms are expected to tighten their oversight of review content and improve complaint handling mechanisms. Meanwhile, cyberspace and market regulators will step up supervision, penalizing violations in accordance with the law and referring suspected criminal activity to judicial authorities.
